European Global Navigation Satellite System

Tag Archives: sat-10

Europe’s ninth and tenth Galileo satellites started broadcasting working navigation messages 29 January. These two satellites were launched together on 11 September last year.

Once safely in orbit and their systems activated, their navigation payloads and search and rescue transponders were subjected to a rigorous process of in-orbit testing, to ensure their performance reached the necessary specifications to become part of the Galileo system.

Radio-frequency measurements of the Galileo signals were made from ESA’s Redu centre in Belgium. The site boasts a 20 m-diameter dish to analyse their signal shape in high resolution. Read more…

This timelapse video shows Galileo satellites 9 and 10, from final preparations to liftoff on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 02:08 GMT (04:08 CEST) on 11 September 2015.

On 20 September at 18:22 CEST, the joint ESA/CNES team at ESOC confirmed that handover of Galileo satellites 9 & 10 to the Galileo Control Centre in DLR near Munich for continuation of their mission was complete.

After a flawless orbit injection by Soyuz on 11 September, the critical launch & early orbit phase (LEOP) went extremely well, and both satellites are in excellent health and now enroute to their final operational orbits. Read more…

Following liftoff from the Guiana Space Center, the powered phase of the lower three Soyuz stages will last about nine minutes. The third stage of the launcher will then be separated from the upper composite, comprising the Fregat upper stage and the Galileo satellites 9 & 10. The three lower stages and the fairing will fall back into the sea.

After a first burn, the upper composite is spun up during a ballistic phase lasting about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Then, Fregat will ignite its own engine to bring the upper composite to a transfert orbit above the Earth. At a pre-determined point of this orbit, Fregat will ignite a second burn lasting 4 minutes to reach the circular orbit of separation.

At the end of the mission, the Fregat upper stage will be passivated. The Galileo satellites will then lower their altitude in order to reach their operational orbit.

Next we present a couple of recent videos taken in the European Space Centre in Kourou (French Guiana), where the Galileo 9 & 10 Soyuz VS12 launch campaign is explained by Jean-Claude Chiarini (ESA Mission Director) and Thierry Wilmart (Arianespace Mission Director).

Galileo satellites 9 and 10 are scheduled to lift off at 02:08 GMT (04:08 CEST) on 11 September from Europe’s Spaceport.

On September 11, 2015, the 9th and 10th satellites for the Galileo Constellation will be launched on top of a Soyuz from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou.With this launch one third of the Galileo satellites will be in orbit proving that the building of the Galileo programme is well underway. Galileo is a partnership between the European Commission and ESA, with a delegation agreement by which ESA acts as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission. So far Galileo is working beyond expectation and now return of experience can also be taken onto account. This video shows preparations of both Galileo satellites and Soyuz launcher in Kourou, it includes an interview with Javier Benedicto, Galileo Project Manager.

When the next pair of Galileo satellites is boosted into orbit next Friday, a team of mission control experts in Darmstadt, Germany, will spring into action, working around the clock to bring the duo through their critical first days in space.

Galileo satellites 9 and 10 are scheduled to lift off at 02:08 GMT (04:08 CEST) on 11 September from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on top of a Soyuz rocket.

This will be the fifth Galileo launch, set to bring the number of satellites in space up to 10. Two more satellites are planned to be launched by year end. Read more…

The next two satellites in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system will be launched together on 11 September, taking its orbital constellation a step closer to initial services. Media are invited to take part in an audio briefing on 10 September.

Galileos 9/10 are scheduled to lift off at 02:08 GMT on 11 September (04:08 CEST; 23:08 local time, 10 September) from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on top of a Soyuz rocket. They are expected to become operational, after initial in-orbit testing, later in the autumn. Read more…

The two European Galileo navigation satellites for Arianespace’s next mission from French Guiana have been fueled at the Spaceport, readying them for integration with their Soyuz launcher.

These spacecraft were “topped off” during activity this week at the Spaceport’s S3B payload preparation facility, further advancing preparations for the September 10 mission, which is designated Flight VS12 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, signifying the 12th liftoff of the medium-lift Soyuz vehicle from French Guiana. Read more…